A. Field of the Invention
This relates to the ability of an ability to brake an airboat. Airboats have unique challenges because there is no propeller in the water and all braking is done either by slowing the boat down or by essentially stopping the engine. However, this may leave the person at risk for being able to maneuver the vessel if there are rough seas.
B. Prior Art
This is a device that will be used to help control the forward movement of an airboat. Airboats, unlike a typical boat rests on the top surface of the water and has very little draft or depth below the surface of the water. This type of boat is ideal for use in shallow water that can be found in swamps.
However, because the water is shallow it is very difficult to stop the boat in the event of an emergency.
There are prior art references that deal with systems for airboats and these can be found at Bootes, U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,621 and Schad, U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,021.
The Bootes '621 reference uses a set of plates that are mounted on the back or stern of a standard boat and will strike the water when the device is actuated.
The Schad '021 reference is an amphibious craft that employs an airboat cage but is not specifically a device to brake an airboat.